Check your WhatsApp message before WhatsApp does

The 1,024-character template limit is generous — and that is the trap. A template that uses all of it usually reads like a brochure, and brochures get skimmed, not answered. The messages that consistently earn replies tend to be a fraction of the limit: a greeting, one piece of relevant information, and a single clear call to action. When a draft tries to do three jobs at once — announce the sale, explain the terms and push the loyalty programme — each ask dilutes the others. Industry reports on messaging campaigns typically point the same way: one message, one purpose, one next step.

Formatting follows the same logic. WhatsApp gives you bold, italic, strikethrough and monospace, but they only work as emphasis if most of the message is unformatted. One bold phrase — the offer, the deadline, the order number — draws the eye to the thing that matters. Bolding whole sentences, stacking emojis or writing in capitals does the opposite: it flattens the hierarchy, reads as shouting, and gives template reviewers a reason to look twice. The warnings in this tool exist because these are the patterns that most often turn a same-day approval into a back-and-forth.

Finally, write for the notification, not just the chat. Most recipients decide whether to open your message from a lock screen preview that shows roughly the first 40 characters. If those characters are “Dear valued customer, we are pleased to”, the decision is made before your offer appears. Front-load the specific reason to open — the order update, the discount, the appointment time — and let the rest of the message handle the detail.

• Keep template bodies well under the limit — 300 to 500 characters is a comfortable range for most use cases.
• Use exactly one bold phrase and end with one call to action, ideally a question the reader can answer in a tap.
• Never start or end the body with a {{variable}} — it is a hard rejection, not just a style issue.
• Link to your own domain rather than a shortener, so both reviewers and customers can see where a tap leads.